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Shiera VII of Celtica
Shiera VII (Shiera Ázada Estere Uí Néill Aderyn, 11 March 1896 - 29 April 1972) was High Queen of Celtica from 21 July 1939 until her death 33 years later. Often called the Great Peacemaker and the Immortal Soul of Celtica, Shiera was the thirty-third monarch of the House Aderyn and the fifteenth of the Uí Néill branch of that house. Shiera was the third and youngest child of Andrew II of Celtica and his wife Maelyra of Pictland, after her elder sisters Rhiella, Princess of Myrávia and Inanna, Princess of Alba (later Princess of Myrávia after Rhiella's death in 1928). After Andrew's death on 11 July 1939, Inanna was expected to succeed her father (becoming Inanna IV), but refused the throne and triggered a constitutional crisis one week later. Assuming the throne on 21 July 1939, Shiera was immediately thrust into the degrading state of relations between Celtica and France. After a collapse in July 1940 robbed her of her ability to walk until early January 1941, Shiera managed to approach the French for negotiations regarding the state and future of the Celtic mainland districts (notably the Channelside District), narrowly averting war until a border incident in March 1943 triggered war the next month. After the 1943 Myrávia bombing, Shiera called a temporary ceasefire, which was respected until new elections brought nationalist governments to power on both sides. Eventually, in 1946, Shiera concluded an arrangement with Marie I of France in order to remove the nationalist elements of Antoine Fay from power in France, bringing about the end of the 1940s Celtifrench War. Once the war had concluded, Shiera began to build a structure for world peace, while also overseeing the reconstruction of Myrávia in time for the second half of the 1952-53 World's Fair, which opened in Myrávia on the tenth anniversary of the 1943 bombing and closed on the celebration of Rhiannyn I's birthday. Soon after, though, relations with the Japanese degraded even faster than those with the French, leading to war in 1955. By the end of the war with Japan in 1958, Shiera's already-frail health had deteriorated greatly, and she spent the next several years recuperating while her husband Finlay took over many of the royal duties. However, Shiera did spearhead many initiatives of the Celts, such as the push to host the 1960 Summer Olympics, often considered the first truly-worldwide modern Olympic Games and arguably the most successful Games of all time, in Myrávia. The death of Finlay in February 1965 changed the tone of Shiera's late reign drastically. She began to project herself full-force into building her "legacy of peace", to the increasing detriment of her own health. After she was badly beaten in an attempted assassination in 1970, the frail monarch never fully recovered, and eventually died of complications in April 1972 to great mourning amongst her people and the world at large. Shiera VII is consistently compared favorably to rulers such as Rhiannyn and Napoleon as one of the greatest rulers of all time. Historian Charles Martin remarked quite simply on her legacy in 1996, stating that "Rhiannyn gave Celtica its heart, and Shiera gave her its soul." Early life (1896-1911) The third princess (1912-1925) "Annus horribilis" (1926) Rise to the throne (1927-1938) Ascension and early reign (1939-1941) The Celtifrench War (1942-1946) Rebuilding between the wars (1946-1954) To war once more (1954-1958) "A hard-fought peace" (1958-1965) Later rule (1965-1970) Twilight and death (1970-1972) Tragedy strikes :Main article: Shiera VII assassination attempt As May 1970 began, Shiera VII continued her push to bring a World's Fair and the 1972 Summer Olympics to Carthage. While the monarch was clearly aging under the strain of her campaigns both in Celtica and around the world, Shiera remained, according to all reports, in "amazing health and good spirits". Shiera organized a gathering in World's Fair Park for 8 May 1970, continuing a run of seasonal gatherings she had held with her citizenry since 1966. However, at the event, she was brutally assaulted in an assassination attempt by a Japanese Celt, Eiji Hirota. Shiera was able to wound the assailant during the attack, but suffered several broken bones, a severe concussion, and significant internal injuries, and was rushed to Myrávia Memorial Hospital in the aftermath. After several surgeries, her condition was stabilized, and the 74-year-old Shiera was released from the hospital in a wheelchair on 24 May 1970. After her release from the hospital, Marie I of France and her wife Jocelyn remained at the Old High Palace for several months, effectively ruling France from the palace of Celtica until October 1970. In that time, they - along with Shiera's daughter Aerys - aided Shiera in her slow recovery. '"Shieryne Twilight"' With the decline in Shiera's physical health came a sharp decline in her mental and emotional health - members of the Serene Household would later recount the ailing Shiera's increasing forgetfulness, particularly as 1971 progressed. One particular incident recalled that when the monarch stood up to turn in her chair at a High Queen's Council meeting in September 1971, she "went in a circle and slammed into a wall, seeming none the wiser." Shiera also became increasingly depressed as her body began to fail, finding herself unable to maintain the level of activity she had prior to the attack. Many of her campaigns began to falter from her lack of involvement, though she was able to get the 1972 World's Fair and Summer Olympics both awarded to Carthage in early 1971. By July 1971, however, Shiera began to show signs of increasingly rapid decline. Nights at the Old High Palace became "erratic" as Shiera began suffering increasing pain through her nights, and the royal physician remarked in an interview in early May 1972 that "Shiera's blood-curdling screams could be heard throughout the palace." Though she had always been thin (particularly for her six-foot frame), Shiera's appearance became increasingly sickly, her weight having fallen from 141 pounds in 1968 to barely 115 pounds in October 1971. A collapse in November 1971 brought her weight down to barely 98 pounds, and despite eating well-balanced meals, her health failed to improve. Shiera's health continued to degrade into 1972, and despite several protestations, all of her requests to abdicate were refused - the last on 29 February 1972, to which Shiera prophetically remarked "They have signed my death warrant, and delayed it... maybe two or three months." Instead of remaining at the opening of the 1972 World's Fair, like she had for the 1965 World's Fair in Amsterdam and the 1966 Winter Olympics in Inbhyr-Nis, she returned to Myrávia in "violently ill health" on 9 April. '''Death and funeral' :Main article: Death and state funeral of Shiera VII In Myrávia, a private vigil began within the Serene Household, as Shiera "all but stopped eating" after 12 April. Despite her continually-degrading health, the monarch's schedule did not allow her any rest, which contributed to her death in the early morning hours of 29 April 1972, due to "complete circulatory collapse caused by complications of severe internal trauma" directly linked to the May 1970 attack. New High Queen Aerys III declared a ten-day period of mourning, after which Shiera was cremated after a state funeral. Her ashes were scattered at the headwaters of the River Myr in a private family ceremony on 16 May 1972. Legacy Personality and image Titles, styles, and honors Titles and styles *'11 March 1896 - 11 March 1911': Her Grace the Princess Shiera *'11 March 1911 - 30 April 1928': Her Serene Grace the Princess of Pictland *'30 April 1928 - 11 July 1939': Her Serene Grace the Princess of Alba *'11 - 18 July 1939': Her Serene Grace the Queen Sister *'18 - 21 July 1939': Her Serene Grace the Princess Shiera *'21 July - 21 August 1939': Her Serenity the Queen-Ascendant *'21 August 1939 - 29 April 1972': Her Serenity the High Queen Shiera VII's complete titulary was the following: :Her Serenity Shiera the Seventh of Her Name, of the Royal House Aderyn of the City of Myrávia, by the Grace of the Gods, of the Ascendancy of Celtica and of Her Other Realms High Queen, of the Celtic Alliance Serene Head, of the Celtic Faith Defender, of the Celtic Domains Guardian, of Myrávia, Alba, Pictland, Cymru, Brythonia, Breizha, all the Lands of Éire and all the Netherlands Queen, and of all these Realms and Domains the most Excellent and Serene Ruler and Successor.